A Thousand Years of Love Between Us
by LotusFlower08
Summary: Hermione moved to Mystic Falls after the war and called Cali Potter for help dealing with the newly turned Rick who is determined to end the race of vampires. Cali rushes to her friends aide to help unlink Rick and Elena, but something goes wrong, and the consequences are life altering. Fem!Harry Cali/Nik Some AU mentions time travel MaybeVampire!Cali Baby!MikaelsonPotter Clichés
1. Chapter 1

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 **I've been going over my stories, all of them need some editing and shifting before I go back to them.**

 **All chapters of this story are being rewritten as of now, 5/1/19.**

 **All AN's will be deleted or altered as needed.**

 **The story starts in the Vampire Diaries, but will eventually take place in the Originals. It's a Fem!Harry (they're sorta my thing) and Klaus established romance. I guess you can say it's sorta an established one sided ship.**

 **By that I mean only she will remember the relationships, Klaus having been forced to forget by magical means.**

 **Warning for cheesy romance and cliches ahead. Fem!Harry might be a Mary Sue, I'm not to sure...**

1.

Hermione damn well better be grateful.

That was the only thought in Calla 'Cali' Potter's mind as she finally, _finally!_ , made it out of the MACUSA building after _four hours_ of hassle from the Americans. Traveling to the States was such a nuisance. If it was for anyone besides her old friend, she wouldn't have bothered. But it had been more than a year since she last saw the bushy haired girl, not to mention she owed her more than she could ever repay.

Directly after the war Hermione had been informed that her precautions regarding her parents, wiping their minds and sending them to the other side of the world, had been for nothing. They were _still_ found by the Death Eaters, and though they weren't given the exact details, they all knew they suffered horribly before a Killing curse put them out of their misery.

Her two best friends, along with everyone else in the magical world, were in a very dark place at the time. Hermione because of her parents, and Ron because of Fred. It took a toll on their fledgling relationship, and within a few months they called it quits. That along with Cali's own mental trauma from the war, and well.. the Golden Trio was falling apart at the seams.

Hermione, who was working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures quit her job and took up an apprenticeship under a renowned Wiccan or 'Borrower' witch by the name of Sheila Bennett. The slightly older girl had always been fascinated by Wiccan magic, and given the circumstances back home, thought it was the perfect time to pursue that interest.

Unfortunately for her best female friend, Sheila Bennett died two months after she arrived. But, obviously, Hermione decided to stick around and aid the recently deceased woman's granddaughter, Bonnie Bennett. From what Cali could tell, her friend didn't regret the decision, even if she did find herself in the middle of a bunch of supernatural drama because of it.

It had been just over two years since the end of the war, more than a year since Hermione moved to the States, and the nineteen year old Potter was still feeling incredulous about it all. Who would've thought that _Hermione Granger_ would be the one to run off and live a life of adventure, while she _Calla Potter_ stayed in Britain and helped Kingsley piece the ministry back together.

It was like something out of the Twilight Zone.

Anyway, the group of misfits her friend was involved with seemed to have gotten themselves into trouble, again, and so Cali was riding to the rescue. Honestly, emerald eyes rolled skyward ignoring the gawking people around her, she hadn't even been told what was going on, or what she was supposed to be doing to help. But again, she owed Hermione more than she could repay, so the redhead wouldn't complain... at least not out loud.

Finally making her way out of the building that housed the Magical Congress, Cali immediately spotted her best friend standing beside a dark blue old fashioned looking American muscle car. There was also a man leaning against the car, but she paid no mind to the raven haired stranger, preferring to study her friend she hadn't seen in more than a year.

Hermione looked good. The bags under her cinnamon eyes were all but gone, and the sickly pale color of her skin was replaced with a healthy glow, the weight she lost while they were on the run was also replaced with a pleasant amount of padding. Her hair was as bushy as ever though. Cali was glad about that last part, Hermione wouldn't be Hermione with out her wild bush of curls.

"Cali!"

"Mione!" The two old friends ran towards each other, meeting in the middle and embracing for one long moment.

Cali barely even flinched at the physical contact, something that only applied to a small number of people, she was glad Hermione was still on that list.

"You look fantastic!" Hermione crowed happily.

The fact that the older girl didn't call her out for no longer having the body of a twelve year old boy was only one of the reasons she considered her, her best friend. Even Ron would, and did, say something stupid about her new found curves after her intensive regiment of high grade nutrient potions.

"You too! Seems like getting away was good for you." They inspected each other at arms length.

"How's everyone?" The smile fell from Hermione's lips.

"We're getting by." Just because her attention wasn't on the stranger didn't mean she forgot he was there.

And speaking of the stranger..

"I hate to interrupt this moving reunion, but we have places to be, people to kill.. You know, the usual."

"People to kill?" Her eyebrow cocked in question as she turned to look the man over.

He was taller than her, not saying much really, _everyone_ was taller than her, with ivory skin, stunning blue eyes, and short-ish black hair. He was also dressed in all black. Black boots, black jeans, black tee, and a black leather jacket even though it was the beginning of June and quite hot. And looked to be in his mid twenties.

He was handsome, but the smirk on his lips screamed arrogance, and there was something decidedly.. off about him. He must be one of the vampires Hermione told her about. Salvatore, she remembered her friend telling her of the two vampire brothers, and wondered which he was.

"Cali Potter." She introduced herself after her inspection.

"The famous Girl-Who-Lived. Huh, I expected you to be taller." Her lips turned down in a frown. "Oh turn that frown upside down, Damon Salvatore an absolute pleasure to meet you."

He took her hand and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles, smirking up at her.

"Damon." Hermione warned before turning back to Cali. "You didn't bring anything with you?"

True enough, Cali was only wearing jeans and a tank-top with no bag of any kind in sight.

"I have a trunk in my pocket."

"Oh, of course." A slight blush decorated the bushy haired girls cheeks. Her friend seemed to have been away from the magical world for to long. "Well, Damon wasn't very eloquent about it, but we really do have places to be, and it's over an hour long drive."

"Why aren't we just apparating?" She grabbed the door handle to get in the backseat as Hermione climbed in the front with the vampire who moved so fast she didn't even see him get in the car.

"I thought I could use this time to fill you in on what's going on." She turned in her seat and looked back at the emerald eyed girl. "It's.. well.. it's not good."

"I assumed as much." She sat back against the comfortable leather seat, waiting for her friend to explain.

"Well don't keep our guest in suspense Witchy, tell her all the gritty details." Damon locked eyes with her in the rear view mirror, blue eyes sparkling but pained under the guise of good humor. "It's a truly riveting tale."

"I hate those." Cali admitted under her breath, getting a sarcastic smile from the vampire.

 **Please take a moment to review. I would really love to hear what you think..**


	2. Chapter 2

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 **Edited 5/3/19**

 **I'm expecting the chapters to get a little longer when the story gets going more, these first few are ridiculously hard for how short they are.**

 **I don't have a beta right now, so I'm sorry for any grammar errors.**

 **I guess you can say this is a Harry Potter/Originals/Vampire Diaries crossover. But the story will still be firmly in the Originals at some point even if it starts in VD.**

2.

"So let me get this straight." Cali leaned forward looking intently at Hermione who had just finished speaking. "One of your friends, a teacher at the high school in the town you moved to, has been turned into a vampire. Not just a vampire, but an _Original_ vampire, and because of some magic ring which repeatedly brought him back to life, has developed a split personality with a hatred for vampires. Mostly thanks to the 'Original Witch.'" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "How arrogant, to take up such a title." She shook her head. "The same witch that used soul magic to curse her own son for a thousand years. And now the new Original is set on the genocide of the entire vampire race. And since the magic that crated and sustains vampires belongs to the original... er… Originals all he has to do is kill them and every vampire in the world will die soon after."

"Essentially, yes." Hermione shifted uncomfortably in the front seat, still turned around to look Cali in the eye while Damon drove, adding sarcastic comments every now and again.

"Right." The emerald eyed girl sat back. "And what is it you want me to do? I don't know _how_ to kill an Original. Maybe a Killing curse would work, but you know I'd _never_ use that spell, even if I could." She set her jaw stubbornly.

"I would never ask that of you." Cinnamon eyes softened in sincerity and understanding. "The thing is Ester, the witch." Hermione clarified when she saw the blank look on Cali's face. "Linked Rick's life force to Elena's through her blood and status as the Petrova doppelganger, and I can't unlink them without potentially killing Elena, which would be entirely counterproductive."

"I'm still not sure what it is you want me to do here Mione." She ran her hand through her long blood red locks. She really, _really_ , didn't miss this whole 'find a way to save the world and thousands of lives,' bullshit.

"Don't be like that. I've heard you do six impossible things everyday before breakfast." Damon's voice was starting to grate on her nerves.

"We're all mad here." She muttered as Hermione glared over at the vampire.

"I can't unlink them without possibly killing Elena." Her friend repeated slowly. "So I want to undo the doppelganger curse altogether. That, in theory anyway, _should_ destroy the link by taking away that which it's rooted to." Green eyes widened in surprise.

"You want to undo a curse, a line of doppelgangers, that goes back at least a thousand years?" Disbelief colored her voice, but it was Hermione's turn to set her jaw stubbornly.

Cali knew that look, it was the same one her friend wore when she told her and Ron she wanted to brew polyjuice in second year. There would be no reasoning with her. Not with _that_ look on her face.

"How exactly would you go about that?" Because that seemed to be the million dollar question here. Hermione sighed and Damon muttered something to low for her to hear.

"Tatia Petrova was the first doppelganger, the curse was a result of her death and her blood being used in the curse Ester put on Klaus a thousand years ago to suppress his wolf side. I need to see what _exactly_ Ester did. And hopefully I can reverse engineer the process. The problem is, even if I was proficient in the mind arts, which you know I'm not, entering the mind of a thousand year old being would probably destroy the invader on contact. The weight of a thousand years baring down on you in one instant.." Her friend trailed off, her face going slightly pale. "And vampire memories _cannot be_ copied and viewed in a pensieve. We've tried." The last part was seeped in frustration.

"Hermione?" The raven haired girl questioned when the other didn't continue.

"I found a spell." The bushy haired girl visibly gathered her wits about her. "A spell to view a historical event. Unfortunately the further back the event, the more magic the spell needs to fuel it. Klaus was cursed a thousand years ago, the spell would require a nearly impossible amount of magic. Far more than I will ever possess, it would kill me."

Guilt, the emotion was written all across Hermione's face.

"So we called in the big guns." Damon looked her over in the mirror, eyes obviously taking in her small frame.

"I'm a witch Salvatore, not a body builder, size doesn't matter." She huffed, before going over everything Hermione told her.

"That's what he said."

She was sure there was _far more_ to the story than the brief summary she had been given, but that didn't really matter did it? Her friend hadn't called her here to deal with a mad Original vampire, not really, it was all about the spell. And she didn't need to be Hermione Granger to realize where this was going.

"You want me to do the spell myself." It wasn't a question.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!"

"Shut. Up. Damon." Hermione stared at the vampire with murder in her eyes, before looking back at Cali, guilt once again covering her face. "You're the strongest person I know, probably the strongest witch alive today. You have a nearly godly amount of magic." She fidgeted. "I.. I care about these people Cal, about Elena. This is the only way I can think of to kill Rick but save her."

There was a long moment of silence as Cali digested what it was her best friend was saying. She cared about this girl, this Elena, enough to possibly risk Cali's life to safeguard her. It hurt, more than she might have expected, and tasted something like betrayal. Had they grown so far apart over the last couple of years that her life could be seen as secondary to a girl Hermione hadn't even known for two years?

And yet how could she deny her?

After _everything_ Hermione had done for her, after all the sacrifices her friend had made to help her, during their Hogwarts years and during the war. She _owed_ Hermione, more than she could _ever_ repay. And so she put a wooden smile on her face, ignoring the water gathering in her friends eyes and the guilt shadowing her features, and nodded.

"Of course Hermione."

xXx

They pulled up to a house that was pretty much the definition of 'all American family.' It was white, two stories, with blue shutters, and a white picket fence. All that was missing was the red door, and the golden retriever in the front yard. She wasn't sure if she envied or pittied the people who lived there.

Conversation had been silted for the remainder of the ride after Hermione explained the spell she wanted her to cast, awkward and uncomfortable. Not to mention being in a confined space with a predator for so long had her instincts almost demanding she draw her wand. But besides all that, silently the emerald eyed girl was also mourning the close friendship that seemed to be lost.

So Cali was more than ready to get out of the car, Hermione seemed to be of the same mind, and they both opened their doors at the same time. But before either could escape the uncomfortable vibe inside the car Damon shook his head. Signaling for them to stay put.

"There's no one here."

"How do you know?" Turning, she questioned him with furrowed brows and a frown on her lips.

"Can't hear anyone." He tapped his finger against the shell of his ear. Right, vampire hearing. "They must be at the boarding house, I'll call Elena. Shut the doors will you? These are dangerous times after all, in case you've forgotten there's a crazy Original out there hunting vampires, and you just so happen to be in the company of one. Not to mention you'd both make a great snack, especially you Princess." Blue eyes locked on her emerald orbs. "You smell like pure magic." He smirked and took a deep breath through his nose, looking at Cali with black veins appearing under his now red tinted eyes.

"Don't be a pig Damon." Hermione snapped with a scowl, while the redhead only wrinkled her nose in disgust.

But he ignored them both, instead taking a mobile phone from the pocket of his leather jacket and pressing it to his ear a moment later. Listening to the one sided conversation as Damon started the car again, Cali wished she was back in England. And wasn't that something, normally she'd be wishing to get _away_ from the magical world and all her fans and stalkers. But she hated seeing Hermione interact with the vampire, and the small smile that twisted the edges of her lips when a female voice could be vaguely heard on the other end of the phone.

"They're at the boarding house." The blue eyed vampire confirmed when he hung up, letting the mobile drop into his lap. "And it looks like we're gonna be crashing the party." Hermione looked at him in confusion. "Everyone's there. Including our friendly neighborhood Original's."

Hermione looked as happy about that as Damon sounded.

"Shouldn't they be? It _is_ them your mad friend wants to kill most."

"Well, yes. But we don't have the best relationship with the Original family." The vampire scoffed at Hermione's, apparent understatement.

Cali knew this. They may not be in constant contact any more, and the letters they exchanged may have gotten more generalized, but she wasn't completely oblivious to what her friend had been up to since arriving in Mystic Falls. So she knew Hermione and her new friends had basically been at war with the Original's.. more specifically with Klaus; the Hybrid.

"There's rivers of bad blood between us Princess." He looked back at her through the rear view mirror. "Fair warning, stay as far away from the Original's as you can manage. That family is poison." Cali bristled, vividly reminded of her first meeting with Malfoy on the Hogwarts Express.

"I think I can decide that for myself, _thanks_." He just shrugged in a 'don't say I didn't warn you,' way.

Driving through the small town of Mystic Falls, Cali had to admit it was very picturesque, adorable even, and everyone they passed seemed to be happy. Obviously they had no idea what dark secrets their town was hiding under the guise of perfection. The town was adorable, yes, but it was also a lie. Sometimes ignorance truly was bliss.

xXx

The next house they pulled in front of, and she hesitated to even call it that with how large the building was, was off the main road and pretty far back. It was surrounded by trees, and had a small lot off to the side with three cars parked beside where Damon stopped the car. The building was constructed out of sand colored stones, with large arched windows dotted here and there. It was also two stories, but again, much larger than the previous home they stopped at.

Actually, it looked more like an old time inn than a home, but she supposed as a boarding house belonging to vampires, that assessment wasn't to far off.

Getting out of the car, Cali shielded her eyes with her right hand as she continued to take in the house and the surrounding area. It was kind of beautiful, not an awful place to live by any stretch of the imagination.

"Let's go, I'll introduce you to everyone." Hermione slammed the passenger door closed with a clang.

"Hey! Watch it Witchy." Damon yelled back from the front porch, and again, Cali hadn't even seen him move from the drivers seat.

Vampire abilities were something she would probably have to get used to for the duration of her stay in the States.

"He cares more about his car than the people around him." Hermione rolled her cinnamon eyes at the Salvatore.

"My car is far more dependable than wishy washy people, prettier than most of them too." He smirked as they approached the small flight of stairs leading up to the front porch before disappearing inside.

"Don't worry, none of the others are quite as annoying as Damon." That was good, the vampire was really starting to get on her nerves. "If you can make it through an hour and a half car ride with him, meeting the others will be a breeze. Though I can't speak much on the Original's, Elijah at least is pleasant. Rebekah is.. well." Hermione bit her lip and looked away. "Rebekah is understandably upset with the lot of us. Kol is basically an unknown. And Klaus.. ah..."

"Right." Cali nodded, a step behind the older girl. "Rivers of bad blood." She repeated Damon's words.

"Yes." Her friend nodded sharply.

Once inside, the green eyed girl changed her assessment, the house didn't look like an old time inn, but a museum. She shut the large, heavy wooden door behind her, almost afraid to touch anything, in fear she'd break some priceless treasure. Paintings littered the walls, woven throw rugs on the floor, and expensive trinkets strategically placed here and there.

Hermione led her to a large sitting room full of people. If her instincts were telling her to draw her wand against Damon, it was _nothing_ compared to the feeling she got upon entering that room. Every hair on her body stood on end with the feeling of ancient power that washed over her coming off various people seated in the room. This time her instincts _screamed_.

Her wand was in her hand before she had time to even think on it.

Looking around, her back straight and eyes sharp, she noticed two distinct groupings, almost as if battle lines had been drawn down the center of the floor. To one side was a mesh of different people with varying features and coloring's, the people on the other side varied to some degree as well, but had many features in common, the Originals.

It was quiet as they all inspected her, and she did the same.

It was a bit overwhelming, and more than a little intimidating she could admit, if only to herself. It was only her unease and tensed magic that had her reacting in time when someone came at her faster than her eyes could follow. An over powered blasting curse left her wand without conscious thought, clipping her attacker in the side, and sending them spinning through the air, slamming into a bookcase on the other side of the large room.

It was no longer quiet, the people around her talking and yelling over each other, laughs echoing off the walls. Her attacker, a man with short, tight blond curls, full blood red lips, deep dimples, and shimmering sea green eyes, smirked at her as he stood from the pile of wood and books. She stared back into his bright eyes, her own emeralds glowing with no longer suppressed power.

"Impressive love." He commented, in a accent that nearly matched her own, wiping a small amount of blood from the corner of his mouth and dusting off his clothes.

"Don't do that." Cali warned, body in a defensive position, ready for another attack.

There was a chuckle to the side, and her glowing eyes moved over to another man approaching her who physically looked around the same age as herself. This one with dark, messy brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He approached at a more human speed. Holding his hand out for hers, he waited patiently as her stance relaxed.

When she didn't place her hand in his he bowed, his smile not faltering at her lack of manners.

"Hello Darling, I'm Kol Mikaelson." He straightened again, smiling down at her. "It's _entirely_ my pleasure to meet you."

"Cali Potter." Her voice was still tight but she pulled her eyes away from the man with eyes the color of the sea to take in his boyish face.

"Do give the girl some space Kol, won't you? Forgive my brothers Miss. Potter." Hermione huffed once again standing beside Cali, obviously not happy that she would be meeting the Originals first. "They can both be quite impulsive, in their own ways."

"Such a party pooper 'Lijah." The one named Kol rolled his eyes dramatically, before giving her a wink and going to throw himself in the armchair he had vacated before.

The man that walked closer, but not too close, looked like the eldest of the lot. He was dressed impeccably, wearing a suit that probably cost more than she had in her trust vault, a strict contrast to everyone else in the room. His hair was also dark brown, not a strand out of place, and his eyes were a coffee brown color.

"Elijah Mikaelson." He bowed his head in greeting, not reaching for her hand. "A great honor to meet you."

"The noble brother." She confirmed with a nod.

"Noble is a matter of opinion." Damon scoffed from the other side of the room, a drink in hand.

"Oh enough of this." The only girl among the Originals stood, a very put upon expression on her pretty face. When she was before Cali she looked her over with light blue eyes, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder. "You don't look like much."

"Neither do you." Cali looked her over before she cocked a brow at the other girl, ignoring her she turned back to her attacker who's eyes hadn't once left her. "And that would make you _Niklaus_."

"Just Klaus, love." She wrinkled her nose.

"Like father Christmas?" She decided to taunt him, still annoyed at being attacked as some sort of test.

"Decidedly not." He scowled, full red lips pulling down at the corners, dimples disappearing.

 **Take a moment to review please!  
**

 **Cali/Hermione- I thought I should address this before I'm accused of some type of bashing.**

 **I am NOT Hermione bashing, mostly this drama between them is a misunderstanding/false assumption on Cali's part. This is written in third person past tense, but is from Cali's perspective so based off her own thoughts. While she isn't some highly damaged emo drama queen, she IS damaged from her childhood, Hogwarts years, and the war. So she sees Hermione happy and with this new life that doesn't really include her, and assumes she and their past together has been replaced by these new people she has no connection to. They are no longer school girls that share their every secret, no longer two thirds of the Golden Trio with the 'us against the world' thing going on, they both have their own lives now. She's jealous and insecure about it. Feeling replaced and unneeded.**

 **Hermione feels guilty, not because she's offering Cali up as some kind of sacrifice to save Elena, but because she feels like she's guilty of the same thing the wizarding world is guilty of- using Cali for her magic to solve a problem she sees as something her friend shouldn't have to deal with. She feels bad for dragging her into more drama after Cali has been living a (mostly) peaceful life after the war with few to no life or death situations.**

 **They are both (Cali more so than Hermione) feeling the strain of realizing they have grown apart.**


	3. Chapter 3

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 **Edited 5/9/19**

 **I don't have a beta, so I'm sorry for any grammar errors or silly little mistakes.**

3.

"Come on." Hermione tugged at her arm, pulling her away from the Original family, and her stare off with the Hybrid. "I'll introduce you to the others.

"Sure." She crossed the small space between the two groups, never actually exposing her back to the ancient vampires.

This group of people was far more diverse. Damon didn't bother walking over, obviously preferring to stay at the fancy bar cart against the wall to the left.. and was that _blood_ he was mixing into his drink? Her nose wrinkled again, this time in disgust, sure he _was_ a vampire, but still. Her stomach churned slightly as she looked away.

"This is Stefan Salvatore, Damon's brother." Hermione had let go of her arm, but led her up to (what looked like) a teen about their age. He had dark blond/brown messy curls and leaf green eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Calla, thank you for coming, and please don't hold the fact that Damon is my brother against me. It gets tiring." He smiled slightly at his small joke and reached out to shake her hand.

"Good to meet you Stefan. Just call me Cali, no one calls me Calla anyway." She accepted his hand, returning the handsome vampires' smile, even though he put her slightly on edge for a reason she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"And this is Bonnie, Sheila's granddaughter." They moved down the line that had formed.

Cali carefully looked the wiccan over. Her magic felt.. strange, almost alien, only not. It was weird, and she was honestly at a loss of how to explain it, still, the emerald eyed girl could tell the other, slightly younger, teen was pretty powerful. The Bennett girl had shoulder length dark brown hair, hazel green eyes, and beautiful mocha skin that had the English born Potter mourning her own pale complexion.

"Great to meet you." Bonnie smiled showing pearly white teeth. "Hermione told me all about you." Curiosity danced in her two toned eyes, but Cali shot Hermione a look out of the corner of her eye, wondering just _how much_ she told these strangers. When she reached for her hand, Cali took a step back.

"Er.." She shifted a little awkwardly, her hand coming up to rub at the back of her neck. "No offense, but Hermione also told me a bit about you, and the fact that you sometimes get visions when you touch people."

"Hiding something Princess?" Damon snarked, that stupid smirk still on his face as he twirled the glass in his hand.

"Lots of things, yes. But it's more the point that I absolutely loathe divination." He opened his mouth to comment again, but was cut off by the wiccan.

"Be quiet Damon. It's fine, I completely understand." Cali somehow doubted that, but returned the smile she was given anyway.

"It's nice to meet you Bonnie."

"You too, maybe we can talk later? Hermione's the only other witch I know since Grams died, well the only one that wasn't an enemy."

"Yeah, alright." She agreed easily.

Next was a bubbly blond who was practically bouncing in place. Her hair was a golden color, while her eyes were dark blue. She looked very excited, and as soon as Cali was in front of her, she pounced forward, grabbing her by the forearms. The Potter heiress froze in place, and had to forcibly restrain her magic from lashing out at the girl she could now tell was a vampire.

"Oh my gosh! You're so adorable, like a little doll!" She squealed as Cali frowned. She was _not_ adorable or anything like a fragile doll, she was a _war vet_ for Merlin's sake! This was the Dursley's fault, she mentally grumbled, she was by far the shortest person in the room thanks to them and their _loving care_.

"Care." Hermione sighed in fond exasperation.

"Oh, sorry! Mione told us you don't like to be touched much, but you're just so cute. Like the little mermaid, with all that pale skin, pink lips, and red hair. Oh and your eyes! They're gorgeous!" She gushed.

"Right..." Cali tried to smile at the blond, though it probably came off more as a grimace. She wasn't sure how she felt about these people using her and Ron's nickname for her friend. "And you are?"

"Shoot, how rude of me, sorry about that, I'm Caroline Forbes."

"Cali Potter." Her nod to the hyper girl was only slightly stiff.

"Sorry about her, Care is a bit excitable at the best of times, and especially when meeting new people. I'm Elena Gilbert."

This time it was definitely a grimace. Her green eyes traced over the girl everything in this town, from what she knew, revolved around. She was beautiful, with olive skin, long dark hair, and doe like brown eyes, not to different in shape to Cali's own. She was smiling at her, nearly a whole head taller, and reached out to take her hand. For a second, the green eyed girl thought about rejecting it, but that would be rude.. not to mention childish.

"Cali." They shook hands briefly before the shorter girl pulled her hand back.

"Yeah, Mione told us. Thanks for coming, I really appreciate it." She tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear.

"It's nothing." Cali shrugged. "I owe Hermione, and she asked for help." And it was that simple as far as she was concerned.

"No you don't." Said girl butted in, interrupting the small conversation she was having with Bonnie a second before, with a roll of her cinnamon eyes. "I've told you a hundred times, you don't owe me, or anyone else for that matter, anything." But Cali only shrugged again, it was an argument between her and her best friends that would probably never be resolved.

"This is Elena's brother, Jeremy Gilbert." Hermione introduced the final person in the room after giving a resigned sigh.

"Hey." He waved lazily not even bothering to stand like the others had. "Is it true you fly on brooms?"

"Yeah."

But she didn't go into detail. Cali was more interested in all the differences between the younger teen, the youngest in the room if she wasn't mistaken, and his doppelganger sibling. He had brown hair too, but his was much darker, only a few shades short of black. And his eyes were also brown, but this time his were lighter than his sisters, almost a hazel honey color. Their facial structures were also very different.

Would Elena look more like her brother, if she wasn't a copy of some woman who lived a thousand years ago?

Then she noticed something that had her eyes bulging, and all thoughts of genetics fleeing her mind, she even took a step back in surprise. There wasn't any magic coming off him. Not a drop. Her head snapped towards Hermione, long blood red locks swinging wildly with the movement. She pointed at the older girl, something between disbelief and accusation covering her face.

" _He's a muggle!_ " She squeaked. "You told a _muggle_ about magic?!" A slight blush started to cover Hermione's cheekbones. "Hermione 'I'd rather die than be expelled' Granger threw our most sacred law out the window?" She asked/stated incredulously.

"He already knew about the supernatural world when he found out about my magic." Her friend justified, flustered and picking at the hem of her shirt.

"So you decided to piss on the Statute of Secrecy?" Hermione said nothing, and Cali threw her head back and laughed aloud, the sound of bells filling the air.

"Oh shut up." But she too was smiling at hearing her friend laugh so freely, a very rare occurrence.

"Oh Merlin, this is priceless, wait 'til I tell Ron." She wiped some tears from her eyes. "Wait, does this mean I'm an accessory to your crime?" Emerald eyes sparkled with mirth. "How the tables have turned! What would McGonagall say?" She laughed again gleefully.

" _Professor_ McGonagall, and _shut up_ Cali!" They both were smiling widely by this point, it was the most at ease either had felt since she arrived, so of course the moment couldn't last.

"Now that the meaningless pleasantries are out of the way, could we get on with this so the trash could take itself out of my house?" Damon's electric blue eyes flicked to the Originals.

"Oh, are you going somewhere then?" Kol asked breezily, throwing one leg over the arm of the chair he was lounging in.

"Damon." Stefan warned, standing again.

"Like any of us want to spend our day in this mausoleum." Rebekah frowned, her nose in the air.

"Just your nights, right dear sister?" Niklaus smirked at her mockingly.

"Shut up Nik!"

"That's enough." Elijah interrupted his bickering siblings.

"Right. So.." Cali hedged, taking the seat closest to the door, not wanting to get stuck in a fight between the two groups. "Tell me about this spell Mione."

xXx

After everyone was seated, besides Damon, and _mostly_ quiet, Hermione leaned forward, making eye contact with Cali across the room.

"It's actually more of a ritual." She winced as the expression on the emerald eyed girl's face turned stony in displeasure .

"A ritual?" Her tone was also far from happy.

After fourth year, Cali was definitely _not_ a fan of ritualistic magic. Something Hermione was _well_ aware of. The last time she took part in a ritual it was against her will, she was tied to a headstone, had her blood stolen, Cedric died in front of her, and she was repeatedly tortured by her parents murderer. Her fists clenched in her lap at her friends' audacity, anger hurt and betrayal once again seeping into her at not being warned, at the very least.

"It's the only way." Hermione's face twisted, a pleading note entering her voice.

"Is it? Or are you just set on this idea to free your new friend from the dreadful Hybrid, and unwilling to consider other means? I mean, you've tried to kill Niklaus enough times by now, probably more than you've even told me about in our letters, you obviously know how to kill an Original. Why not just kill him?"

"Yeah, cause that worked out so well." Damon made himself another drink.

"You killed one of their brothers, and probably _thousands_ of other vampires along with him, vampires who had _nothing_ to do with your little pissing match." It was a low blow, but she had never been good at getting bad news in front of a crowd, especially not a crowd of strangers. Hermione flinched at the blatant disapproval in her voice.

"I like her." Kol piped up from his seat, getting a noncommittal hum from the Hybrid who was annoyed that the topic had shifted into a conversation about attempting to murder him, no matter how fruitless such endeavors would turn out to be should they try.

"She is quite interesting." Rebekah agreed.

"We didn't know what would happen." Cali said nothing. "...Anyway, the only weapon that works against an Original is in _Rick's_ possession. We don't have the white oak stake."

"So take his head off, most things die when they don't have heads." She reasoned, a little sick at how calmly she was suggesting such a thing, but the war had changed her, and she knew some people just had to die. That wasn't to say she thought the hybrid was one of them, she would very much oppose his death whether or not he deserved to die, something she had no opinion of either way, simply because of all the vampires' lives tied to his own. "Or chop him up and bury him in pieces around town if that doesn't work."

"Decapitation will not kill an Original." Elijah stated while adjusting the cuffs of his pristine shirt, all his siblings were grimacing, Niklaus and Kol rubbing at their necks, something like remembrance in their eyes.

"Huh." Jeremy Gilbert looked at them, morbidly curious, he wasn't the only one.

"That's so gross." Caroline shivered, scooting back in her seat as if to get further away from them. "You guys really are freaks, freaks among freaks. No offense Elijah." Cali scowled at the use of the hated word. Even after years, she couldn't help but stiffen at the insult, even if it wasn't directed at her.

"The point is," Hermione attempted to get them back on track, though she too looked intensely curious, "we have no way to kill him. And putting him in some kind of stasis isn't exactly reliable when he has the wiccans on the other side aiding him. The same for your... dismemberment plan. All it would take is one spirit to possess someone and put the pieces back together."

"God, I'll never do a puzzle again." The doppelganger looked a bit green in the face, Bonnie and Caroline both nodded their agreement with their friend, also looking a little green around the gills.

"Please Cali." Hermione's eyes and tone were outright begging, Cali looked away.

"Fine." She grit out. "Then tell me about the.. _ritual_."

xXx

As it turned out Hermione had everything she needed to preform the ritual, because of course she did, and they were ready to preform it that very day. Well in a few hours when the sun went down. Her friend offered to put it off for a day or two, if she was tired from dealing with visiting not only the ministry but also the MACUSA building to travel there.

But honestly, Cali just wanted to get it done with and return home. She had been planning on staying for a few days at least, but now she was just going to go back in the morning. Her idea of visiting and catching up with her best friend had soured immensely. Especially after learning that Hermione lived at the boarding house with Damon and Stefan, she would kill the snarky vampire if she had to spend days with him. And even though he seemed quiet and kind of sweet, there was something.. _off_.. about the younger Salvatore that had nothing to do with him being a vampire.

Plus, her magic rebelled at the mere idea of sleeping, _being completely vulnerable_ , with them in the next room. She didn't have a problem with vampires in general, but the fact was; they were predators, and her instincts wouldn't let her relax to that degree around two she only knew for a few hours. Staying one night was bad enough, and she probably wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

Assuming she didn't pass out from magical exhaustion.. or kill herself.. doing Hermione's ritual.

When the moon was high in the sky, and everything was ready, Cali made her way to the Salvatore's back yard. Actually it was more just a patch of land before the woods began. The Original's, Stefan Damon and Caroline, and Hermione and Bonnie were all on high alert, in case the deranged new vampire showed up and tried to attack.

Cali was a bit annoyed that the Gilbert's were there. They couldn't contribute to anything, and were only there to watch, like this was some sort of drama on the telly. But she didn't care enough to object to their presence. Not even Jeremy, who was completely muggle, and made her feel a bit uncomfortable doing magic in front of.

She might have been a rule breaker when it suited her, gleefully in fact, but all jokes aside, tossing away the Statute was a huge breech in wizarding law around the world. And the emerald eyed girl _still_ couldn't believe Hermione, _Hermione_ , had broken it so carelessly. She should have _at least_ obliviated him.. though really Cali doubted she would do that to someone she considered a friend either.

There was a large runic circle, she had no hope of reading, which seemed like it was burned into the ground, and already pulsing with power. Floating braziers were at the north, south, east, and west points. Fires already flickering ominously inside the large metal bowls. The smell of burning herbs filled the air.

The vampires spread out around the clearing, but Cali could still feel their eyes on her. Elena and Jeremy stood to the side, also watching intently. And Hermione and Bonnie stayed close to the runic circle.

"I need a few drops of blood." Hermione stepped closer, and a mirthless smile split Cali's lips.

"Of course you do." The green eyed girl muttered, it wouldn't be a _proper_ ritual without having her blood taken.

"The runes that need to be painted on your face have to be done in the blood of a magical virgin." The bushy haired girl obviously still heard her, and repeated what she already told her that afternoon when explaining the ritual.

"You're a virgin darling? How terrible, I would be happy to help you with that later if you'd like." Kol yelled from the right before squawking. "That was uncalled for 'Lijah, I'm just trying to help." And despite herself, she laughed at the obnoxious Original.

"You're such a pig Kol." She could almost hear Rebekah rolling her eyes.

"Help by being silent."

"I thought we'd use your blood." Cali ignored the interaction between the siblings.

"Oh.. well.."

Hermione's face positively burned as she fiddled with the silver dagger in her hand. Cali's brows shot towards her hairline when her friends eyes briefly landed on Damon Salvatore. Then slight distaste covered her features.

"You slept with _him_? Why in Merlin's name..?" He was gorgeous, there was no denying it, but so _very_ irritating.

"I'll have you know, Princess, I'm irresistible." She could just make out the vampire wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Are you ready?" Hermione cleared her throat awkwardly, her face still rivaling the Weasley's famous hair.

"Yeah." Cali sobered, reality coming back at full force, thrusting her hand towards the older girl she took in the creepy scene one last time, resigning herself to what was about to happen.

Hermione made a small cut to the padding just below her thumb, and then taking a pure white quill and dipping it into the silver bowl she used to collect the small amount of blood, started to draw four runes, (the number seemed to be a big part of this ritual,) on Cali's face in her own lifesblood. The scarlet haired girl decided it was best not to think on that last part.

"Thank you Cali." Hermione's eyes shown with gratitude when she was done. "I never would have asked this of you if I didn't _know_ you could do it."

"Thank you." Elena and Bonnie echoed the sentiments.

"Thanks!" Caroline yelled from her spot beside Stefan, who nodded at her.

But she was hardly listening. Her heart was beating wildly, and she was sure every vampire there could hear it like a ringing gong. Her palms were sweating slightly, she _hated_ ritualistic magic almost as much as the Killing curse. Clenching her hands at her sides for a moment, she took a deep breath, before stepping into the pulsing rune array.

The feeling of raw magic was intoxicating, and hit her with all the force of the Hogwarts Express. A small moan slipped from her lips as her body shivered under the power of the runes, fueled by the moon overhead. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before, it was pain but _so much_ pleasure. Small gasping breaths had her chest heaving.

"Cali! Calla Lily Potter, center yourself _right now!_ " Hermione's panicked voice had her opening her eyes, she hadn't even realize she closed them to begin with.

What she saw was surprising, not the people crowding around her looking interested, awed, or scared, but her skin, it was glowing like the moonlight. There were strange green lights in front of her eyes, and it took her a second to realize so much magic was flowing through her that her eyes were leaving emerald smoke trails in the air as she moved. Her hair was floating around her as if she was under water.

" _So much power._ " Her voice came out strained.

" _You can do this_ , you'll be okay, just center yourself." Tears fell from cinnamon eyes. "Stefan, get ready to destroy the circle!"

"I- I- I'm okay." It took _every single ounce_ of willpower she possessed to clear her mind and start focusing on her own magic, and she stumbled, falling to her knees, but finally she was somewhat in control. "I'm okay." She clenched her jaw in stubborn determination.

"Good." Her best friend laughed and sobbed at the same time, also falling to her knees to be at eye level with the other witch who looked more like a goddess in that moment. "Can you go forward?" Her voice was scared, a second away from telling her vampire friend to destroy the runes and stop the magic.

"Yes." Cali grit out, unwilling to fail or lose.

Lose what? She had no idea, but she was Cali Potter, and she didn't lose.

"Al- alright." The older girl's voice cracked. "You have to concentrate on what it is you desire to see, think on the Hybrid curse, set your whole mind to it. Like learning to apparate."

But how was she supposed to concentrate on something she didn't witness herself?

"Calla." Looking up her glowing eyes fastened on sea green.

Niklaus kneeled beside Hermione on the other side of the rune circle, his attention fully riveted on her. It was strange, she thought absently, to see arguably the most powerful being in the world kneeling in the dirt. But the thought hardly registered as she stared into his eyes, they were churning like the sea they so resembled... _beautiful_.

"Close your eyes." She wanted to resist, simply out of stubbornness because she hated being told what to do, but found her eyes fluttering closed anyway. "Listen to my voice." She gasped, but obeyed, blocking out everything but the sound of his smooth voice and the magic swirling around, and through her. "It was a summer night, humid and warm, a full moon in the sky, we were inside a clearing ringed in ancient oak trees. The moon had just reached it's apex, wispy clouds obscuring the stars. There was a single tree in the center, larger than all the rest, and iron chains hung from it's pale branches. It was Elijah who helped chain me to the tree, and then the chanting started."

Her breath had calmed while he slowly spoke, and she could almost see the scene in her mind, like he had painted her a picture.

"Do you have it?" He asked in a low voice, and she opened her eyes, again looking right into his own.

"Yes." Her voice sounded almost hypnotized.

"Then say the words, love." He reached out, as if to touch her face, but stopped before his outstretched arm crossed over the edge of the circle of runes.

"In hoc apparuit de sanguine vires ex pura etiam ad spectaculum omnes simul quattuor."

There was a blinding white flash, and when it cleared, the circle was empty... and Cali was no where to be found. Hermione screamed her name, and every one else started looking around frantically, like she was going to pop up any second, they weren't wrong. Another flash of white filled the night, and the emerald eyed girl was once again in the circle.

But she looked different than she did just a second ago. Her hair was much longer, and riddled with elaborate braids, her features slightly thinner and matured, and she was wearing nothing but a man's tunic. Blood dripped lazily from a bite on the side of her neck, staining the dark green linen top, and crusting inbetween the glass and amber beads making up a beautiful necklace hanging around her throat.

And there, on her cheeks, under her swollen red eyes, were still wet tear tracks.

"Cali?"

 **How was the chapter? I was so worried about writing the ritual, did it come out okay?**

 **"In hoc apparuit de sanguine vires ex pura etiam ad spectaculum omnes simul quattuor" means "** **In this it was manifested, at the same time with the blood of all the forces of the four, out of the pure to view the spectacle." Or something like that, we all know how reliable google translate is, and I don't speak Latin.  
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	4. Chapter 4

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 **Edited 5/16/19**

 **I am incredibly grateful to all my followers, so feel free to ask me to update soon and so on and so forth, but please keep in mind that I have a lot going on, also my attention span is shit, I work full time, and have a kid. So it could be weeks or months before a specific story is updated, as I have already proven. I'm sorry, but my muse is a fickle and quite an uncooperative little beast.**

 **I have no beta so the mistakes are mine and mine alone. If you want the job PM me.**

4.

Before she even opened her eyes, Cali knew something was very _wrong_. The bed was to soft, even with the use of her magic she had become used to lumpy beds, the sheets to smooth, and there was no traces of the furs she had grown accustomed to. The gentle, natural and earthy smells surrounding her had been replaced with sharper, false scents, _man made_.

Emerald eyes flew open, a gasp leaving bowed lips.

Cali looked around in panic, and her fear was confirmed, the room she was in was very modern. Her stomach clenched. Throwing off the covers over her body, she absently noted she was still in Nik's tunic and nothing else, the scarlet haired girl stumbled towards the door of the unfamiliar room. Her head was pounding, and the artificial lights overhead were not helping in the least.

Coming to a stairway, Cali gripped the rail in a death grip, afraid if she loosened her hold, she'd topple down head first. She felt disoriented, dizzy, and more than a little light headed, her head was also pounding like a drum, and she knew she should probably sit down before she hurt herself. But that wasn't an option. She had to get back, she _needed_ to. The last thing she remembered was.. _oh gods..._

"Cali you're awake!" Looking through squinted eyes, she spotted Hermione with an arm full of books, strangely the other girl didn't look like she'd aged a day.

"Hermione..? Is that you?" Her hand came up to rub at her forehead, hoping to release some of the building pressure.

Now, there was a reason the universal translation spell wasn't recommended for long term use. It tended to twist and bend the users actual speech patterns over time. Cali hadn't noticed such a thing until she tried to pronounce her old friends very _English_ name. Her accent had changed quite dramatically. Her words far less throaty and more.. rhythmic? Or maybe that wasn't the right word.. it didn't matter, Hermione was rambling about something.

Flicking her wrist, the twenty-three year old woman canceled the translation spell completely, so she could keep up with Hermione's fast paced words.

"-been out for hours, every one was starting to worry." That was probably a lie. "What happened? You just disappeared one second, and then reappeared a moment later looking.. different." Cali froze, her panic increasing to dangerous levels.

"What do you mean? I've been.. gone.. for _four years_." She pronounced the words carefully, very much out of practice in speaking her native language.

She really should sit down, in her experience these things always got worse before getting better.. if they _ever_ got better that is.

"Four years? No, it was less than a minute." Her friend put the stack of books she was carrying on an end table, a worried frown on her face.

"It does not matter." Shaking her head, hoping to clear it a bit, Cali grit her teeth against the wave of dizziness. "I need to go back."

"..Back?" Her friend approached her like she was a cornered wild animal, dangerous and unpredictable.

"Yes, back. I _must_ go back." Were they speaking the same language here?

"You.. you can't." Hermione spluttered.

"It was not a question." Emerald eyes glared, rather impressively given the state she was in. "Where are the others?"

"Looking for me Princess?"

Her head jerked to the side, a cocky looking man, no _vampire_ , was standing there. He had black hair, and vivid blue eyes. She recognized him, but for the life of her, couldn't remember his name. He was the older of the two vampire's Hermione was involved with.. but she was still drawing a blank when it came to even his family name.

"What was your name again?" He looked genuinely surprised, and even a bit offended. "No, I'm looking for the children of Mikael and Ester.. the Original's, where are they?" Wobbling slightly, she took another step forward.

"Why are you looking for them?" Hermione looked downright alarmed by that point.

"Maybe one person in this town actually has good taste." Rebekah sauntered into the hall were they were standing, Cali still at the base of the stairs. "Don't worry little witch, my brothers will be here any minute, they were tired of waiting and went out for.. _a snack_." She pronounced the last two words with a false sort of delicateness.

"Bekah!" The relief in the witch's voice was palpable.

"Am I to take it that we know each other?" The blonde gave her a searching look, blue eyes tracing over her narrowed on the dark green tunic.

Those words were like a stake to the heart, no pun intended, and Cali felt the strength leave her legs. She ended up sitting on the bottom stair. Confusion was swiftly followed by denial. No, no there had to be some misunderstanding. Rebekah had to be jesting. _She had to be!_ A laugh, some where between amused and hysterical left her lips. Until she saw the honest confusion in the other's face.

"Oh gods." Her voice seemed to come from far away, even to her own ears. "You.. you don't remember."

"Sorry." She didn't sound very sorry.

"No, no, no! This is all _wrong!_ " Standing, her magic lashed out sending everything within ten feet of her flying, even the vampires and Hermione. "This cannot be. I.. I met you when you were only _twelve winters old_ , I lived with you for _four years_! We.. we're _sisters_! Oh gods, I may be sick."

Her hand came up to cover her mouth, she hadn't felt half this bad the first time she was pulled through Time.

During her small breakdown she didn't notice the others gathering in the hall. The rest of Hermione's friends were there, but more importantly the Mikaelson's were all there watching her as her face crumpled in obvious despair. But Cali soon rallied herself, her jaw setting in the determination she was known for.

"You have to send me back." She grabbed Hermione by the arms, her emerald eyes desperate and slightly wild.

"I can't." There was sympathy in her friends tone, but her voice was unwavering. "It's a _miracle_ you survived traveling through the time stream a thousand years, not once, but _twice_. It _shouldn't be_ possible. Even if I knew how, _and I don't_ , if you tried again.. you could die." But Cali brushed her words aside like nothing more than an annoying fly.

"I have vampire blood in my system, I will not die for long even if that _is_ the case." Shock seemed to reverberate through the room.

"She's out of her mind." The cocky vampire announced cheerfully.

"They must've brain washed her. She can't be compelled can she? I mean Mione can't." The Tatia look a like whispered to the Bennett witch.

"You would be turned? Lose your magic?" The nature witch asked incredulously, stepping forward, as Hermione stared wide eyed.

"There is _always_ a price to pay in magic. The trick is deciding if what you desire is worth the consequences." Cali quoted going for the books Hermione had been carrying, assuming they dealt with the ritual that sent her to the tenth century.

"Calla you have to listen to me." Hermione surpassed panic, looking absolutely terrified. "It isn't possible. _No listen!_ " She insisted when the scarlet haired girl made to interrupt. "The timeline _protects itself_ , which is more than likely why you were thrown back to your original time to begin with. _You don't belong there_."

"I cannot just leave them there. I _will not_ leave _him_ there!" Again her magic made itself known, swirling around her like a furious storm, her eyes glowing a poisonous emerald.

"Him?" Hermione asked quietly. "Oh Cali... you _didn't_."

"Of course she fell for an Original, just our luck. I need a drink." The dark haired vampire disappeared with a roll of his blue eyes.

"Was it me?" Looking over, pained emerald eyes landed on Kol, she glowered, flicking her hand and sending him flying into the closest wall.

"I think that means no." Rebekah snarked.

"Why's it always Elijah or Nik?" Kol complained as he got to his feet, dusting wood chips from his clothes.

"Cali." Hermione took her hand. "They don't remember you. I told you, the timeline protects itself. Whatever memories you had with them, whatever your _relationship_ was with them, it's nothing more than a dream now. You _do not_ belong there."

Looking into the faces of the Mikaelson's, Cali realized the truth of Hermione's words. They all looked highly interested, some even sympathetic, but there was no recognition there. She saved sea green eyes for last. Seeing those eyes looking back at her without a hint of affection or familiarity was worse than any physical torture. It tore at her heart like _nothing_ she had ever endured in her twenty-three years of life.

"It does not due to dwell on dreams." She murmured, emerald eyes still locked on sea green, and then there was a crack, and she was gone.

"What have I done?" Hermione asked rhetorically, tears in her eyes as her trembling hands came up to cover her mouth.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Elena assured rubbing the curly haired witches shoulder in support as the vampires took off in an unvoiced agreement to find the famous, half naked, witch.

"No, Cali doesn't know how to let go. She doesn't know how to lose. And she loves more intensely than anyone I've ever met."

xXx

The falls 'Mystic Falls' was named for had once been a raging river which veered off into several smaller streams, it had also been the only source of fresh water to the small Dane or 'Viking' village settled in the area. Now, a thousand years later, it was little more than a pretty set of small waterfalls. And calling it fresh water, would be a stretch.

Cali and Rebekah used to come here every morning to collect buckets of water for the day.

Emerald eyes were fixated on the water pooling along the bank, rubbish and other discarded items swirling in the slow current. She was trying very hard not to think, not to _feel_. The downed trees and torn up ground around her a testament to why feeling was a _bad_ idea at the moment. Two hours had passed since she apparated away from that house full of strangers and ghosts, and yet the all consuming hole in her chest only seemed to get larger during that time.

Cali had lost people before, people _precious_ to her beyond measure.

She watched Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, and Fred die before her eyes. Saw the bodies of Remus, Tonks, Hagrid, and _so many_ others when the final battle finally ended. She saw Henrik's tiny body after being torn apart by wolves. Losing Rebekah, Kol, and Elijah to Time felt all to similar to those heartbreaking moments of loss that were burnt in her mind and haunted her dreams, painting them red when she closed her eyes.

Realizing Nik was lost to her, like he had never been hers _at all_ , was so much _worse_.

Cali loved the others. She loved them as family, and it didn't matter that they didn't share a drop of blood, because family was more about bond than blood _anyway_. But she was _in love_ with Nik, and had been for three years by that point. She loved him with an intensity that she never could have even fathomed was _possible_ before meeting him.

It was absolute, binding, and at the moment more than she could bare.

Almond shaped green eyes blinked rapidly, and she swallowed thickly. Her hands were twisted in the linen green tunic falling almost to her knees, and dried blood coated the bottoms of her bare feet, though the cuts that had been there had long since healed thanks to the vampire blood lingering in her system. Cali sat on a large, mostly flat, rock just feet away from the falls.

It had been two hours since she arrived in that place alone, but her solitude didn't last longer than that. Elijah silently sat beside her on the bolder she had chosen. Her shoulders drooped slightly at the invasion. And she had to forcibly remind herself that this _wasn't_ the man she had seen as an older brother, this was a stranger wearing his face, a ghost, a _dream_.

"I was so furious when I realized I had been thrown back in time." Her voice was oddly void of emotions. "I cursed Hermione for getting me stuck in that situation, and swore all manner of vengeance upon her." A humorless smile twisted her lips.

"What changed?" The eldest 'Mikaelson' brother asked curiously as he draped his suit jacket over her shoulders.

"What else?" Cali shot him a questioning look. "I grew attached." With a shrug, she pulled the jacket closer around herself, it was still the early hours of the morning, and quite chilly given her lack of clothing. "When I appeared there, whether by coincidence, fate, or just a quirk of Potter Luck, I almost literally landed on top of your youngest siblings." This time the smile that lingered on her lips was more genuine, though bitter and pained. "Rebekah was twelve, and already a little lady, she was _scandalized_ at seeing how I was dressed, never mind the fact that I appeared out of seemingly nowhere."

"Yes, that sounds like my sister." Elijah laughed lowly, fondly.

"To be fair, tank tops and skinny jeans were _far_ from acceptable clothing choices for women then. She probably thought I was a prostitute." She rolled her eyes with a huff. "Henrik though.." Her voice trailed off, sharp and pained. "He thought I was a goddess, or a Valkyrie- there to collect the souls of warriors. They took me to your family, your mother, and the rest is history I suppose."

"You stayed with us?" Brown eyes looked over at her, soft and curious.

"Yes." Cali nodded. "We told everyone I was your mothers niece who had been recently orphaned. I was grateful.. but like I said _furious_. I badgered your mother, and her coven, for any way to send me back. I spent a great deal of my life in the wizarding world, but no matter how old fashioned or backwards, it did nothing to prepare me for life in the tenth century. I could deal with the endless chores, that wasn't so different to how I grew up so it was hardly an adjustment. But I _hated_ the way women were treated. The way Rebekah was treated, the way _I_ was treated. Like property, a prize to be won, a pretty face all the men wanted for themselves. I despised the idea of being nothing more than a homemaker.. and a broodmare of course. The strict gender roles grated on me, and I _dearly_ missed indoor plumbing."

"I imagine that would be quite difficult for you." He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees and looking over at her thoughtfully. "Not only adjusting to everyday life in a time so different from your own, but going from being seen as the pinnacle of strength to a woman to be coveted and protected."

"Pinnacle of strength? Hardly." Shaking her head, the green eyed girl scoffed incredulously.

"You are the strongest witch born in the last century, at the very least. You're a war hero, the savior of your people."

"Is there some sort of measuring stick for such things?" But then she shrugged again, sticking her arms through the sleeves of the jacket around her, and pulling them up so her hands weren't covered. "I'm no hero, just lucky. Anyway. It was Rebekah and Henrik I grew close to first. Simply because it was them I spent the most time with, along with your mother. Me and Rebekah being female, and Henrik being so young. And it was all down hill from there." She rolled her eyes again. "Eventually I became used to life there, it was a simpler time, but more meaningful. I wasn't the Girl-Who-Lived or Lady Potter-Black. I was just Calla, daughter of James. I had a family. And I was happy."

"And you fell in love?" Elijah asked/stated, brown eyes peering at her.

" _And I fell in love._ " Cali confirmed in a whisper with a nod, looking away as her eyes stung and her fists clenched so hard her nails dug into the fleshy pads of her palms.

"Niklaus was always quite fond of the color green, ever since he was a boy." The older man stated, gesturing to the bit of green tunic showing where the jacket wasn't completely pulled close.

"Does it ever stop?" Green eyes peered up at the Original, tears she wouldn't allow to fall glimmering in their depths, and a hint of pleading in her tone.

Elijah sighed deeply, not needing her to elaborate, turning his face from her to look out over the water. He didn't answer, and that in and of itself was answer enough for her. She closed her eyes in despair, wondering why people did this to themselves. _Why_ they would _torture_ themselves, it was not, in fact, better to love and lose, and she would rather to never have loved at all.

Cali steadfastly ignored the voice in her mind calling her a liar, insisting that she wouldn't trade a _single moment_ of her time with him, no matter the cost.

"We should return to the Salvatore house." Ah, she mentally noted, that was the name of the other vampires. "They have all been out looking for you, and I would like to limit my siblings involvement with the others as much as possible."

"Right." She didn't want to go back, she didn't want to see them, _him._

"All will be well. Did you, per chance, witness my mother cast the curse on Niklaus? Did you see the creation of the doppelganger line?" He looked down at her as she stood, waving her off when she offered him his jacket back. "Keep it."

"No." Cali shook her head, long hair almost to her hips swaying back and forth. "That's the thing, Tatia already _was_ a doppelganger."

xXx

They arrived back at the Salvatore Boarding House with another crack.

Elijah must have called off the search party before approaching her, because all, well most, the people who had been their earlier were already waiting for them. When she offered to apparate him back, she was expecting him to say no. It took a lot of trust to allow someone to side-along apparate you, and Cali knew she was nothing but a stranger to him. So she was shocked when he agreed, and the knot in her chest loosened just slightly with the show of trust.

"Cali.. are.. are you alright?" Hermione came up to her at once, her hands fluttering like she wanted to physically help her, but didn't know where to start.

"I'm fine Mione." In truth she was calling on _all_ her skill in occlumency to keep her face blank, and all the will power she possessed not to look in Nik's.. no Niklaus' direction.

"Cali.." The bushy haired girl worried her bottom lip, disbelief written over her features.

"The others left?"

The emerald eyed girl changed the subject, she didn't actually care about the missing people. In fact she was quite grateful they weren't there. Seeing as in, in her opinion anyway, they didn't need to be there to begin with. All of the Originals were there except Kol, along with the dark haired Salvatore, the Tatia look alike who's name she couldn't recall, and the Bennett wiccan. The blonde vampire and the doppelgangers' brother were both missing along with the green eyed Salvatore.

"Care had to meet up with her mom, Jeremy is with Tyler, and Stefan had other things to deal with." The Bennett witch helpfully answered.

"As did Kol." She almost flinched at the sound of Niklaus' accented voice, so different than it was just hours ago, but still undoubtedly _his._

"I see." Cali pulled Elijah's coat tighter around herself, wanting to get this over with, and it seemed she wasn't the only one.

"Well Princess, do you got what we need?" The Salvatore vampire asked... Darren?

"Don't rush her Damon!" Hermione scolded, oh, _Damon_.. close enough.

"It's fine, I'd very much like to get this over with so I can get back to England." And dear Merlin, she _never_ thought she'd say such a thing. "The spell was all for nothing it seems. Tatia was already a doppelganger, I have no idea when or how the line was created, but it _didn't_ start with her."

Disbelief, everyone was looking at her in disbelief.

"That.. that can't be!" The newest doppelganger protested, and Cali felt a bit of pity for the girl.

"I'm sorry but it is. That's why her blood, in part, was used in the ritual to create vampires, why she was sacrificed to curse.. Niklaus." She hoped no one noticed her stumble over the hybrid's name, but it was doubtful, and she berated herself for it silently.

"No." The hazel eyed Bennett argued. "She was chosen as a _punishment_ for causing a rift between Elijah and Klaus." At that Cali barked a laugh, her occlumency mask shattering momentarily.

"You're mistaken." She shook her head, amused despite herself. "There _was_ a fight between Elijah and Niklaus, but that was _nearly four years_ before they were turned. There was no rift between them by then." Walking over to the drink cart, she poured herself a small amount of whiskey, without asking.

"But.." Looking back she saw the confusion still on Hermione, the Bennett, and doppelgangers' faces.

"Are you saying the doppelganger trollop _wasn't_ sleeping with both my brothers?" Rebekah flounced up to her, pouring her own, much larger, drink.

"Decidedly not." Her voice came out harsher, more possessive, than she intended, and Cali grit her teeth, she didn't have the emotional control to have this conversation, she _really_ needed to get out of there.

"Huh." A finger came up to tap against the blonde's chin as blue eyes raked over the scarlet haired girls face. "Well which one was it? Elijah.." She tugged at the jacket Cali was still wearing. "Or Nik?"

"Does it matter?" She questioned before turning back to Hermione, leaning against the fancy cart behind her with her drink in hand. "The ritual to create the Originals was done in a set of three. The sun was channeled for power, the earth for rejuvenation or healing, and the white oak for immortality. All of this gathered magic was bound in blood, blood rich in different magics. Ester's blood, and Tatia's blood, which we knew was magical, but wasn't the same as either type of _known_ magic ."

"You said the ritual was done in sets of three, that mean's there would have been three blood donors to bind each element being channeled..?" Hermione almost asked, but not quite, it was obvious she already knew the answer.

"I am the sun, the blood that gave the vampires their power." Pulling up the suit jacket sleeve, she showed her wrist to her friend, and everyone else in the room. There was a thin white scar across the dainty appendage. "Ester was the earth, fitting not only because of her magic, but since she was their mother, her blood brought healing. And Tatia the white oak, the source of immortality."

"You knew what was going to happen.. Did you even warn us?" Rebekah snapped from beside her.

"I didn't warn _you_." Her voice was something between apology and resolution, she felt guilty for what she had done, or failed to do, but she didn't regret it.

"Rebekah enough." Elijah stepped between them as the female Original stalked forward.

" _Don't!_ " Cali drew her wand in the same instant, pointing it at Hermione who had drawn her own, and placing herself in the way of any spell fire that could have been aimed at the blonde. "Don't. She has every right to be angry with me."

"Oh goodie, drama. This was getting extremely dull." Damon smiled condescendingly but then scowled. "You're all blocking the drinks."

"Damon please." Both Hermione and the doppelganger pleaded, exasperated. "Don't make things worse." The Tatia look a like rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine." His own eyes rolled. "This all seems pointless anyway. The Magical Princess didn't find anything useful on her stroll through Time, as far as I can tell, we're done here. You," he gestured to the Originals, "can all kindly get the hell out of my house. Unless you wanna go another round?" He wiggled his brows at Rebekah, and Cali wrinkled her nose.

"You slept with him too?" First Hermione, then Rebekah, what was _wrong_ with the girls she knew.

"Wait!" Hermione interrupted. "I.. will you still show us the memory of the curse, there might be something you missed, anything.."

Cali had forgotten how stubborn her friend could be when she was set on a particular course of action.

"Hermione, I'm telling you, Tatia was already a doppelganger when I met her, and that was four years before that vile curse."

"Still.." The bushy haired girl insisted.

"It's a very personal memory, and it won't be of any help to you." The green eyed girl snapped feeling highly uncomfortable.

"Oh don't be that way." She sucked in a breath, wishing he had just stayed quiet. Another lie to tell herself as her heart beat rose in response to the sound of his voice. "I don't mind if they see." Niklaus approached her, coming to a stop just in front of her. "Let them see who the true monster of this story is." Stubbornly, she kept her eyes on his chest, though everything in her was _screaming_ at her to look up at his gorgeous face, to look into the eyes she would, and did on many occasions, happily drown in. But then he took her chin between his fingers, and tilted her face up. "Is there a reason you've not glanced at me once since you arrived?" The pad of his thumb ran just under her eye. "Green has always been my _favorite_ color. But you know that, don't you love?"

Looking into his face, into his eyes, Cali's own face twisted painfully.

"No!" Hermione denied angrily, striding forward. "Not him, any of them but _him!_ "

 **Please take a moment to review! I'm not exactly happy with this chapter, but I'm pretty sure it's as good as it's going to get. So... here it is! Tell me, is it as bad as I think? Or am I just being paranoid?**


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